Process for loading ceramic monolith with catalyst

Abstract

A process of loading a ceramic monolithic catalyst support with a heterogeneous water soluble catalyst comprises making a slurry of the catalyst in a mixture of from 2 to 50% by weight of water and from 98 to 50% of a liquid organic carrier, applying the slurry onto the surface of the monolithic catalyst support and allowing the slurry to dry by evaporation of the mixture of water and liquid organic carrier.

That which is claimed is: 
     
       1. A process of loading a ceramic monolithic catalyst support with a heterogeneous water soluble catalyst comprising the steps of: forming a slurry from a sufficient quantity of said catalyst and a mixture of water and a liquid organic carrier;   said water being present in said mixture in an amount between about 2 percent to about 50 percent, by weight, and said liquid organic carrier being present in said mixture in an amount between about 50 percent to about 98 percent, by weight;   applying said slurry to the surface of said ceramic monolithic catalyst support; and thereafter   drying said slurry by evaporation of said mixture of water and liquid organic carrier.   
     
     
       2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the liquid organic carrier is selected from the group consisting of an organic hydrocarbon, an alcohol, an aldehyde, an ether, a ketone, and mixtures of two or more of these, said carrier having a boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure (1000 mbar) of no more than 150° C. 
     
     
       3. A process according to claim 1 wherein the liquid organic carrier is selected from the group consisting of an organic hydrocarbon, an alcohol, an aldehyde, an ether, a ketone, and mixtures of two or more of these, said carrier having a boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure (1000 mbar) of no more than 100° C. 
     
     
       4. A process according to claim 1 in which the catalyst is insoluble in the liquid organic carrier. 
     
     
       5. A process according to claim 1 in which the mixture of water and the liquid organic carrier consists of from 5 to 20% by weight of water and from 80 to 95% by weight of the liquid organic carrier. 
     
     
       6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the liquid organic carrier is a lower alkanol having less than 6 carbon atoms. 
     
     
       7. A process according to claim 1 wherein the slurry has the consistency of a paste at the temperature and conditions of loading the ceramic monolithic catalyst support. 
     
     
       8. A process according to claim 1 wherein the slurry consists of 30 to 50% by weight of the heterogenous catalyst and of 50 to 70% by weight of the mixture of water and the liquid organic carrier. 
     
     
       9. A process according to claim 1 wherein the slurry is applied to the surface of the monolithic catalyst support by a method selected from the group consisting of dip coating, flow coating, brushing and spraying. 
     
     
       10. A process according to claim 1 wherein the evaporation of the liquid organic carrier is achieved by exposing the coated support to heat. 
     
     
       11. A process according to claim 1 wherein the evaporation of the liquid organic carrier is achieved by exposing the coated support to a gas flow. 
     
     
       12. A process according to claim 1 wherein the evaporation of the mixture of water and the liquid organic carrier is achieved by allowing the majority of the mixture to evaporate at relatively lower temperatures, followed by heating the coated monolith at higher temperatures. 
     
     
       13. A process according to claim 1 wherein the evaporation of the mixture of water and the liquid organic carrier is achieved by allowing the majority of the mixture to evaporate at temperatures below the boiling point of the mixture, followed by heating the coated monolith at higher temperatures. 
     
     
       14. A process according to claim 1 whereby the average thickness of the final catalyst coating is in the range of from 0.05 to 2 mm.